worried about friend's pain med use

[shelby]

Hello all,
I have read through some of these posts from people concerned about their continued dependence on pain meds, and most respondents seem to think a patient should continue to use them if they need them.

I have a friend who is six weeks past surgery. She continues to take Oxycontin and Percacet. The oxy she takes every 12 hours, the percacet, every four. That seems pretty heavy duty to me.

According to her, the PT said she must continue to do so for another three months so she can continue her therapy. I guess the doctor wouldn't continue to prescribe them if she didn't need them... but I still worry.

Additionally, she is not able to sleep, even taking ambien cr. I guess this is normal.

I am just worried because she is also undergoing some SERIOUS financial stress and she's pretty depressed and I don't want to see her use the pills as a crutch.

 

[JudyS]

Shelby
You are a good friend, one of life's treasure's for sure.

Six weeks is extrememly early to be thinking about cutting back on pain meds. I had a hip replacement which seems to be the easier of the 2 joints to replace (with no additional complications). At 6 weeks I was still given a prescription for percocet as it still hurt.
I'm sure others will comment from the knee people, but pt can be very painful, it is difficult to give it your best if pain stops you.

To put it all in perspective, I was fired from my special education teaching position while on medical leave, have 4 kids of college or near college age, just moved to an expensive state, husband who has lots of stupid debt, major back pain, knee surgery coming up in 2 days, spine surgery a few weeks later. I went from being on narcotic pain meds from hip replacement to taking them for back pain, so have been taking percocet since June 6th.

Anyway, there are llots of others in similar financial and health situations here. I think your friend will be ok. The surgery is vey painful. Now I am rambling!!!!
Judy

 

[Jamie]

Shelby, I agree with Judy. Your friend is so lucky to have you in her life! But, speaking as a person who has been there....with knee replacement, you can have a lot of pain and recovery is very difficult. It takes real work to get your range of motion back. All that work hurts. If you are battling pain as you are trying to retrain your knee to like all those new parts, it just doesn't work as well. Your friend is under the care of competent doctors and therapists who know this and that's why they are prescribing the drugs. It is true that you can have problems sleeping when on heavy-duty pain killers. Many of us experienced that. It is not unusual to take Ambien to help with that. Lots of us just suffered with it and slept when we could no matter what time of day or night. My advice to you is to continue supporting your friend and rejoice in her successes. Even the smallest ones are a big deal when you are going through this recovery. Bless you both!! And write back in a few weeks. I'm betting that your friend will be doing better and better as each week passes. Some of the biggest improvements come at the 4 month and 6 month marks....and that's a LONG ways from 6 weeks!!! She is still a "newbie." In my own case, I didn't stop my prescription pain meds until somewhere around the 12 week period. (((HUGS)))) to you both.

 

[Josephine]

Yes, it's easy to get focussed on the use of pain meds and forget that a TKR is an excruiatingly painful procedure to recover from. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see your friend in pain which would be the alternative.

 

[Simon]

Ambien also did not work for me. What did work is lorazapam (an anti-anxietyagent) as the problem could be learned/condition insomnia which is a pretty common postop complication.

Simon

 

[Simon]

Shelby

The Oxycontin is a timed release formulation so you can not cut it in half. If you friend is feeling good she can ask the doctor for a lower dose or what I did is eliminate the night dose and see how it goes. Don't stop the 2nd dose for at least a week.

The other one can be used as needed. If she is feeling good she can cut back on those but check out Josephine other posting with the pain graph.

Each person has a different tolerance so you kind of have to play it by ear. I was on 15 mg extended release morphine and hydromorphone as needed. I was able to stop the heavy duty ones at about 3 1/2 weeks and the hydromorphone I was just using 1 before PT at about 7 weeks out. I was lucky as pain was not a major problem for me.

 

[edk]

Yes, it's easy to get focussed on the use of pain meds and forget that a TKR is an excruiatingly painful procedure to recover from. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see your friend in pain which would be the alternative.

First they bend your knee in a position it doesn't normally go, then they
saw off the bottom of the top bone, saw off the top of the bottom bone,
the back half of the knee cap. Then they pound on them with a hammer
and screw and glue it all together. Then they put you on the rack and bend
it two degrees past where it wants to go over and over. Finally, they send
you home.

 

[Josephine]

Put like that it sounds like something left over from the Spanish Inquisition!!

And Simon, since you mention it, here's that graph again!

 

[shutterbug]

I am 6 weeks out and taking pain meds. Hydrocodone 10/325 3 to 4 times a day.
The pain is getting better, but I am not ready to give them up yet. Like everyone said, this is a major surgery. The problem come in when you take them when you dont have pain. I wait until pain is at a 4-5 before I take any. I also will try motrin first sometimes.

Everyone is diffrent.... but God bless this board! It has gotten me through many bumps on my road to recovery.

chuck

 

[Gretchendz]

First they bend your knee in a position it doesn't normally go, then they
saw off the bottom of the top bone, saw off the top of the bottom bone,
the back half of the knee cap. Then they pound on them with a hammer
and screw and glue it all together. Then they put you on the rack and bend
it two degrees past where it wants to go over and over. Finally, they send
you home.

I think I am going to print this little description up on a card to hand to folks who think it's a cake walk

 

[Nursepair]

Hi Shelby, good for you about being such a great friend. I needed my percocets for a good 5 months for pain, had trouble getting a good bend, then had an MUA. I did get addicted to them and when I should have got off them couldn't, so I cut them down very gradually. It took me 4 months but I was pleased with myself when I was off them. Unlike alchohol you don't get tempted so easily. I haven't even thought about them since. I now have great respect and much more understanding and tolerance for anyone who gets off hard core drugs.